


jealousy works, until it doesn't (it works then, too)

by fallingforboys



Series: we're on the outside, looking in [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alec & Theo Raeken Friendship, Alec-centric - Freeform, Good Theo Raeken, It goes horribly, Jealous Liam, M/M, Matchmaking, POV Outsider, Puppy Pack (Teen Wolf), Theo Raeken & Brett Talbot Friendship, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Theo Raeken is Part of the Pack, as expected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:29:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29547273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingforboys/pseuds/fallingforboys
Summary: Alec might be the youngest of everyone in the pack (he’s still getting used to the fact that he even has a pack), but he’s definitely not an idiot.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: we're on the outside, looking in [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170809
Comments: 22
Kudos: 176





	jealousy works, until it doesn't (it works then, too)

**Author's Note:**

> annnnd I'm back with another outside pov, because I love them so much
> 
> also, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who subscribed, reads my fics, comments etc, etc. you guys are amazing, and I love you all!

Alec might be the youngest of everyone in the pack (he’s still getting used to the fact that he even _has_ a pack), but he’s definitely not an _idiot_.

Scott saved him that day, and brought him back to Beacon Hills, and now Alec was part of the McCall pack. And the pack accepted him quickly, _so_ quickly that it stunned him, but he wasn’t going to argue. Not when he had a _family_ again. 

But there were still times when he felt like an outsider, everyone else having their inside jokes and their traumatic bonding experiences, while Alec didn’t have _anything_. 

Which was partly the reason he was drawn to Theo.

Scott had given him a Sparknotes rundown about what happened with the chimera, and from what Alec got out of it, Theo used to be evil, tried to kill everyone, but is better now. 

But Alec found himself going to Theo’s room more and more despite his apparently evil past, found himself asking the chimera to help him with his control, found himself growing closer to Theo. The first time he asked Theo to help him, the chimera was so shocked, Alec was worried he had actually _broken_ him for a second.

He had found Theo in the kitchen, casually scrolling through his phone, and Alec was suddenly struck by how… _not evil_ the chimera looked. He _knew_ Theo’s past, or at least enough of it, but he couldn’t match the Theo that Scott told him about with the Theo in front of him. 

“Can you help me with my control?” Alec had asked, hesitant, and Theo had _frozen_.

“ _What?_ ”

“My control,” Alec had repeated, “It’s all over the place, and I need help.”

Theo had stared at him for a good minute before opening his mouth. “You want _me_ to help?”

“You’re like, _always_ in control, dude,” Alec had blurted out, before realizing that _maybe_ calling Theo _dude_ wasn’t a _great_ idea, but the chimera didn’t _look_ like he was gonna murder him, so he had continued. “I’ve already ruined _three_ sheets with my claws, and I’m pretty sure Melissa is on the verge of kicking me out.”

Theo snorted softly, before standing up. “Like she’d ever do that, but fine. _But_ ,” there was a hint of warning in Theo’s voice, “Tell _anyone_ and I’ll kill you.”

And Alec was not proud to say that he had squeaked, because _okay_ , maybe he could see what Scott had been talking about before. But Theo’s glare had dropped, and he rolled his eyes as he grabbed Alec’s arm and dragged him to his truck. 

“First lesson, you’re gonna learn how to listen to heartbeats.”

It wasn’t until later that Alec had connected the dots and realized Theo had been lying about the _I’ll kill you_ part. 

But that had only been the beginning. Theo was surprisingly patient, reeling in his annoyance when Alec lost control pretty well. Well, there was that _one_ time when Alec had almost taken off Theo’s head, and Theo had slammed him into a tree _hard_ , but that one was kind of on Alec. But other than that, Theo was _good_ at teaching him control, good at telling him how to focus, how to deal with the sensory overload that came with being a new werewolf. 

And Alec could genuinely say that he _enjoyed_ Theo’s company. They lived together anyway, because Theo was living with the McCall’s for some reason (Theo had stiffened when Alec asked why, and Alec immediately dropped it; he was _just_ starting to be able to call Theo a friend, and he didn’t want to fuck this up already) and so Alec saw him a lot more than anyone else in the pack. 

And weirdly enough, Theo seemed to not _hate_ him. Which was good enough for Alec, honestly. But he hadn’t realized how close they’d become until winter break, and the entire pack was at Scott’s house except for Theo, who had gone out a few hours ago to the gym.

Alec was comfortable, had joined the Puppy Pack’s conversation about school and their evil english teacher. Until Brett had offhandedly said something about Alec being a stray, and Alec _knew_ it was just a joke, _knew_ that it was just Brett’s slightly rude way of goofing around, but he _couldn’t_ control it. 

His eyes had flashed for a moment before he felt his fangs poking out of his gums, and the voices in the background sounded a little panicked, but he couldn’t hear _any_ of it, blood rushing to his ears. 

“Alec.” Theo’s voice had pierced through his muddled thoughts, and Alec’s head snapped to the chimera, whose expression was blank, but Alec had spent enough time with him that he knew that he wasn’t as nonchalant as he often pretended he was. “Calm the fuck down.”

“Theo, you’re not _helping_ ,” Liam had snapped from next to Alec, the rest of the pack agreeing quickly, but Theo knew Alec, and being rude was _exactly_ how Theo had taught Alec control for the last month. Theo moved out of the doorway, and Alec noticed something in his hand. Was that… _food?_

“The diner you like is right next to the gym, and I picked up some of those cookies you’re obsessed with, _but_ ,” Theo’s eyes flashed, “I guess I can eat them myself if you’re all wolfed out.”

Alec had let out a growl, because that diner had been their thing, and they stopped there almost every time after another control lesson, and Theo _knew_ how much Alec loved the food from there. And now he was taunting him with it. Which just drove Alec _further_ up the wall. He bared his teeth and lunged for the bag, but Theo had seen it coming, and stopped him with a hand in front of him while stretching his other arm with the bag above his head. 

Alec _knew_ the rest of the pack was watching them like they were _insane_ , but he didn’t fucking care right now. “ _Theo_.”

“ _Alec_ ,” Theo had said in the same tone, a smirk on his face. “Calm down.”

Alec took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and he had felt his fangs slowly recede after a minute, the rage in his head fading into irritation at Theo.

“You _asshole_ ,” Alec had hissed, reaching for the bag from Theo, who’s smirk had grown even wider, “I hate you.”

Theo let him snatch the cookies out of his hand, and had ruffled his hair in a way that almost seemed… _fond?_ “No you don’t, I’m the sole person fueling your cookie addiction.”

Alec had flipped him off, and had suddenly realized the room was eerily silent. The pack was staring at them in shock, Stiles’ jaw so wide open that Alec was sure it had to hurt.

“Whe– How– _What?_ ” Scott asked, his brows furrowed as he gaped at Theo, who had rolled his eyes as he dropped down on the floor next to Liam. 

“We live in the same house, are you really that surprised that we get along”?” Theo had drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are you his _anchor?_ ” Stiles had demanded, and Alec heard a sharp inhale coming from Liam’s direction. Theo’s eyes widened as he shook his head hastily, and Alec caught his gaze flicker to Liam momentarily.

“Fuck no,” Theo had rushed out, “Being Liam’s anchor is a full time job, I don’t need another short, impulsive werewolf to handle.”

The tension in the room had broken at that, Brett snorting loudly as Liam let out an indignant _I’m not short_ and punching Theo’s arm. Theo’s lips pulled up into a smir– _no_. Alec gawked as a full-blown _smile_ took over Theo’s face as he looked at Liam. 

Oh. 

_Oh_.

Alec had stored that information for later back then, and holy _shit_ , maybe that had been a bad idea, because _now_ he was losing his mind. 

The last few weeks had been… strange, to say the least. The whole pack was still in town, but that wasn’t what Alec had been focusing on. No, his mind was too preoccupied with Theo and Liam. 

Because Alec had spent a lot of time with Theo over the last few months, which is why he _knew_ something was happening. It _had_ to be, because they _weren’t_ subtle. At _all_.

The first thing Alec had noticed was on the same day Alec had lost control, had been that night, when the pack was all settling into the living room for a movie night. Stiles and Malia were arguing about what movie they should watch, the rest of the pack ignoring them as they tried to find a spot to relax in the crowded room. 

Alec settled in between Lori and Mason, the former giving him a smile that might’ve made his heart skip a beat, but he shoved that away as his eyes caught onto Theo and Liam. The chimera was on the couch, his legs apart with Liam in between them on the ground below, his back pressed into the couch. Liam nudged Theo’s shin with an arm, and had tilted his head back until it was resting on Theo’s thigh. Alec had quickly glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed, but everyone was too caught up in their own conversations to realize, and his eyes darted back to the couch. 

Theo had cocked an eyebrow as he looked down at Liam, whose lips were pulled into what looked like a pout, and he didn’t even _say_ anything, just pushed his head deeper into Theo’s thigh until the chimera sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“The next time you argue with me that you’re not a puppy, I’m bringing this up,” Theo had muttered, and it was quiet enough that you’d have to be trying to hear it, even with supernatural hearing, but Alec _was_. Theo brought up a hand that was resting by his side to Liam’s hair, carding through it with a gentleness that Alec didn’t even think was _possible_ for the chimera, but apparently it _was_. Liam’s mouth had curled up into a pleased smile, sinking back into the chimera’s touch, and Alec’s eyes might’ve actually popped out of his head, if not for the fact that Stiles had suddenly announced that they were watching some random Marvel movie and drawn Alec’s attention away from the two supernaturals. 

And that might’ve been the first moment that Alec caught, but it definitely wasn’t the _last_.

And now Theo and Alec were in the kitchen, Theo making waffles (because he was absurdly good at cooking, a skill that Alec took _heavy_ advantage of) when Liam stormed in, a scowl on his face. Theo took one look at him and turned back to mixing the batter. 

“If you’re gonna explode, do it outside. Melissa will actually kill you if you break anything else,” Theo said calmly, acting like he didn’t even give a fuck, but Alec was slowly starting to realize that that wasn’t true at _all_. 

“Brett and Nolan teamed up against me in the new video game we got,” Liam grumbled, walking up to the chimera, and Alec could tell that both of them had forgotten that he was even in the room at this point.

“And that warranted you running here looking like you’re about to slit their throats?” Theo teased as he poured the batter into the waffle iron. 

“Why does their flirting have to affect _me?_ ” Liam whined, and dropped his head onto Theo’s back. “I had to sit through all the innuendos pretending I didn’t understand them.”

Theo snorted, and Alec was stunned at how _comfortable_ the two were with each other. Theo didn’t even say anything about the beta’s close proximity, and Alec could do nothing but stare. “I see the problem,” Theo’s eyes twinkled. “You’re jealous that you’re single.”

Alec made a noise in the pack of his throat, and their heads whipped towards him, suddenly realizing there was in fact another person in the room with them. “You can give my waffles to Liam,” Alec said hastily, “I forgot that I was meeting Mason, Corey, and Lori for breakfast. Bye!” 

He rushed out of the house, not slowing down until he was a good three blocks away from the house, and he finally came to a stop, his mind _racing_. Theo and Liam _weren’t_ dating?

Alec called Mason, telling him to meet him at the diner, and the human sounded concerned until Alec reassured him that everything was fine, he just needed to talk to him about something. Alec was running through all the things he’d seen in his head when Mason finally stepped into the diner with Corey in tow, both of them sliding into the booth with worried glances. 

“I’m fine, stop worrying,” Alec repeated, and they relaxed a little. “I just have a question.”

Mason and Corey exchanged a confused look, before turning to him with blank expressions. “About what?” Mason probed and Alec took a deep breath.

“I thought Theo and Liam were dating.” 

It wasn’t really phrased as a question despite his words before, and Mason and Corey stilled for a moment before breaking down into quiet giggles.

“What did they do this time?” Corey asked between laughs. “Cuddle and claim it’s just platonic?”

“Or have one of those silent conversations that no one understands but them?” Mason chimed in with a smirk, and Alec was so _confused_.

“They’re… _not_ together?”

Mason and Corey calmed down, both of them shaking their heads with amusement all over their faces. “Nope,” Mason chirped, “They’re both dumbasses that either think the other doesn’t like them or that they’re not good enough for them. The _whole_ pack knows, but they’re still stuck pretending that they don’t already act like an old married couple.”

Alec flopped back, a sigh on his lips. “That day, the pack movie night, you guys all…” Alec trailed off and Corey rolled his eyes.

“You really thought we _didn’t_ notice?” the chimera snorted, “No, we _know_. We’ve just learned to ignore it because watching them is _infuriating_ when they won’t do anything about it.”

Alec huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “But they’re basically already _dating_.”

“We _know_ ,” Mason declared, gesturing wildly. “But _they_ don’t.”

It honestly just got worse from there. Seeing everything that Theo and Liam did, while knowing that weren’t _actually_ together drove Alec _insane_. 

Like how they were basically _glued_ to each other’s sides whenever the whole pack hung out, their shoulders pressed together. Or how when Malia joked around about Theo’s evil stint, Liam always took it seriously, because Theo would stiffen minutely, something Alec had noticed too. And then Liam would work himself up, and the only person who could calm him down was… _oh,_ what a surprise, _Theo_. 

But there were the little things too. Like how Theo just _knew_ before anyone else when Liam was on edge, and would find a way to anchor him, either through a soft whisper or by brushing his hand on the back of Liam’s neck. And how Liam would instantly relax, like his anger was draining out of him with that _one_ touch. And Alec finally got to see those “silent conversations” that they apparently had, and _god_ , he understood why Corey had said it was infuriating to watch them.

Their expressions shifted so _little_ , it was hard to tell they were even _communicating_ , but they’d just keep staring, and Alec wondered if they even _knew_ how it looked to everyone else. It was like they were in their own world, everyone and everything else fading into the background, and Alec wanted to shove their heads together. Whether that resulted in them kissing or headbutting each other, he didn’t care– either one would be fine with him. 

The final straw for Alec happened when the pack was in the kitchen for Liam’s birthday, and Liam had ended up with frosting on the corner of his mouth. And no one really thought anything of it, just continuing to eat their own cake, until Theo rolled his eyes and wiped his finger across Liam’s lip so quickly, Alec almost thought he imagined it. But Liam had frozen, causing Theo to still, and the rest of the pack held their breaths. Alec was a werewolf, he _knew_ what the smell that suddenly filled the air was, but no one commented on it, watching as Theo’s eyes darted to Liam’s lips quickly before snapping back to his eyes. 

“Um,” Liam’s voice cracked, his voice quiet, “I–”

“There was frosting on your lip,” Theo blurted out, and Alec had _never_ seen the chimera _not_ composed, but he looked like he might _pass out_ at the moment. Liam kept staring into Theo’s eyes, nodding slowly, and Theo held his gaze for a few more seconds before stepping back. “I, uh, I need to go to the bathroom.” And then he rushed out of the room, Liam’s eyes following his back. The silence lasted for a couple of moments before the pack slowly started to return to their conversations. 

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Alec mumbled, and Brett snorted. 

“Get used to it,” the blond werewolf muttered quietly, but it wasn’t like Liam was _listening_. He was still standing where Theo left him, his eyes glazed over like he was lost in… lost in _something_. 

“Are they _blind?_ ” Alec pressed, his eyes locking with Mason’s. The human sighed softly, glancing at his best friend who was– what a surprise– still standing there shell-shocked. 

“They’ll get it eventually,” Mason replied, “Someday.”

Someday was beginning to look a lot like never, and Alec didn’t think he could even handle another _day_ of this torture. 

So Alec did when one does when your kind of friend slash kind of older brother was in love with an impulsive beta werewolf. 

He played matchmaker.

Mason and Nolan told him it was a _terrible_ idea, that it would end up backfiring on him, but Brett and Corey encouraged it, said that this shit was getting _exhausting_. Alec had angels and devils on both of his shoulders, but since when was Alec an angel?

The first step of his plan was making sure they were aware of their _own_ feelings, and what better way to do that than getting them jealous? 

The Puppy Pack was at Liam’s house, and Alec caught Brett’s eye, who smirked slightly before putting the plan into motion.

“Hey, Theo, remember that guy I was telling you I met at Sinema?” Theo’s eyebrow raised as he turned to his best friend.

“Yeah,” Theo said slowly. “If this has _anything_ to do with you and Nolan, _please_ don’t tell me.”

The pack cracked up, Brett flipping Theo off as Nolan turned red. “No, you asshole,” Brett drawled, “It’s about _you_. He saw you with me the last time we went and he wants to know if he could get your number.”

Theo stilled for a second, and Alec could see him _physically_ restraining himself from moving his gaze to– surprise, surprise– Liam. “Uh–” Theo’s voice was hesitant, and Alec almost grinned at the scowl forming on Liam’s face. “I… I don’t know.”

Brett was struggling not to laugh, but he schooled his expression into casual amusement. “You don’t know if I can give him _your_ number?”

Theo’s mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, before he took a deep breath. “I don’t even know him, I’m not going out with some random stranger off the street.”

“That’s what the date is _for_ , dumbass,” Brett pressed, “You can get to kno–”

“He clearly doesn’t want to,” Liam suddenly snapped, and Theo’s head whipped around so fast, Alec thinks he heard it crack. “Why do you want him to so bad?”

Theo gaped at him for a second before a small smirk pulled at his lips. “Are you… _jealous?_ ”

Liam froze, before letting out a growl. “ _No,_ why the fuck would I be _jealous?_ It’s just obvious that you don’t want to go on a date with whoever Brett’s talking about. You’re allowed to say n–”

“Sure.”

Alec choked on his saliva as Theo angled his head back to Brett. His face was hard, and Alec was starting to think that he _might’ve_ fucked up. “Give him my number, tell him the date’s tomorrow.”

And with that, Theo walked out, the rest of the pack staring with wide eyes. Liam was still for a moment, before letting out a low snarl and walking out of _his_ house. Alec turned to Mason, who looked like he was debating whether to punch something or cry.

“You just subjected me to an entire night of listening to Liam rant,” Mason sighed, “Thanks a lot, Alec.”

“That– that wasn’t supposed to happen,” Alec rushed out, and Corey rolled his eyes.

“It’s _Theo_ and _Liam_. Did you _really_ think this would work out the way you planned it to?” the chimera asked incredulously, rubbing a comforting hand down Mason’s arm.

“Maybe this can still work,” Nolan chimed in softly, “Theo clearly only said yes because Liam said he wasn’t jealous.”

“Which was a fucking _lie_ ,” Brett seethed, “How did Theo not hear it? Liam’s pulse was the _opposite_ of steady.”

The room was quiet for a moment before Lori perked up. “Maybe Theo knows and is trying to make Liam jealous too.”

Corey shut that down quickly. “Even if Theo heard Liam’s heart skip, he’d convince himself it was out of anger or _something_ else, cause he still thinks he’s not good enough for Liam, even though that’s obviously not the case. I think– I think this is his way of maybe… trying to move on?”

“No,” Brett’s voice was blunt. “I _know_ Theo, he’s _hopeless_ when it comes to Liam. There’s no moving on for Theo, it’s either he gets with Liam, or he stays alone.”

Well that’s depressing. 

“The only thing we can do now is make sure they don’t fuck this up more than we already did,” Mason breathed out, and Alec felt his stomach roll in guilt. He hadn’t wanted _this_ to happen, he just wanted his two friends to finally accept that they were in love with each other. “Brett, make sure the date’s at the diner. We can keep an eye on them there.”

___________________________________________

Alec wanted to disappear.

Theo had caught on to the pack watching him pretty quickly into the date, and threw them harsh glares whenever the other guy (Chad, Alec had found out from Brett, and he almost rolled his eyes, because _Chad?_ Really?) wasn’t looking at him. And Alec hadn’t been on the other side of Theo’s glares yet, and after twenty minutes of experiencing them, he decided that he hated it. 

“Theo looks like he might kill us,” Alec squeaked quietly, and Brett smacked the back of his head. 

Before Alec could hit him back, Mason’s phone rang, and the human groaned as he picked it up.

“Lia–”

“Pack meeting in ten minutes,” Alec heard the beta say, “Tell Theo.”

“Wait, Liam, you can tell him yourse–”

Liam hung up.

Mason put his phone on the table, and groaned again. “Who wants to cut the date short? Not it.”

Everyone rushed to say not it, and guess who was last? 

Alec hesitantly walked over to Theo and Chad, and the only thing keeping him going was the fact that Theo looked _extremely_ bored, so maybe he _wouldn’t_ kill Alec for this. 

“Theo,” Alec mumbled, and the chimera looked at him, annoyed. Okay, maybe he’ll still kill Alec for this. “There’s a pa– a meeting, and we have to go.”

Chad gave Alec an offended look. “Who are _you?_ ” 

Alec shrunk back a little at his harsh tone, and he stammered. “Uh, I–”

“My brother,” Theo stated, sliding out of the booth, and Alec’s mouth parted in surprise. “This was nice, and I’m sorry for leaving early, but we both know that this isn’t gonna work. So,” Theo started walking towards the door, throwing Chad a quick salute. “Have a nice life.”

Chad’s jaw dropped, but Alec rushed out of the diner before he could say anything to him. The pack came stumbling out a second later, but they all stopped when they saw Theo’s glare.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Alec gulped, exchanging a nervous look with Mason. “There’s a pack meeting at Scott’s in five minutes.”

“That’s not wh–” Theo started, but cut himself off, letting out a heavy sigh. “Fine, let’s go. I assume you guys don’t have a ride.”

They looked at him sheepishly, because _yeah_ , they had gotten Mason’s mom to drop them off. 

The ride to Scott’s house was silent, Alec anxiously fidgeting, because Theo didn’t seem _mad_ , but the chimera was annoyingly good at controlling his emotions, which means he could be _furious_ right now and Alec wouldn’t even know.

They slipped into Scott’s house, and everyone, including Liam, was already there. 

“Where have you guys _been?_ ” Stiles asked Alec, annoyed. “You were supposed to be here five minutes ago.”

“What's going on?” Theo interjected before any of the Puppy Pack could answer, his voice steady, and Alec saw Liam stiffen.

“Oh, so _now_ you care?” Liam asked, and Alec and the rest of the Puppy Pack winced at the bitterness in his voice.

“Oh, so _now_ you’re talking to me?” Theo retorted, his voice just as hostile, and the older pack’s eyes widened. They didn’t know that Liam had been ignoring Theo for the last day and a half, and Scott looked like he was about to step in, but Mason shook his head furiously. The alpha’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t interrupt them.

“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Liam snapped, his hands balling into fists by his sides. “I was just busy.”

Theo crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatever.” His voice seemed neutral, but Alec heard the hint of resignation behind it, and guilt twisted in his chest. Maybe Theo and Liam weren’t together before Alec had stepped in, but they had been better than _this_. 

Liam scoffed. “ _Whatever?_ That’s all you have to say?”

“Well, what do you _want_ me to say, Liam?” Theo blurted out suddenly, and Alec’s breath caught in his throat at the uncertainty in his voice. The rest of the pack was just staring now, watching the scene unfold like a movie, but neither Theo or Liam seemed to notice or care. 

“How was your date?” Liam asked, unnaturally calm, and Theo looked stunned for a moment before irritation flashed on his face.

“Why do _you_ care?”

“I–” Liam faltered, before his face closed up again. “Because you’re my friend.”

Alec flinched. What the _fuck_ , Liam? He looked at Brett, who looked just as miffed at Liam’s declaration. 

Theo was completely stoic now, and Alec couldn’t read _anything_. “Okay.” Theo avoided Liam’s gaze, looking at the wall instead. “It was fine, but it’s not gonna happen again.”

Liam opened his mouth, but Theo cut him off, turning to Scott. “If there’s nothing important, I’m gonna go up. I’m kind of tired.” The alpha looked concerned, but Theo didn’t reveal anything else, just stared until Scott finally nodded, and Theo let out a quiet breath.

He started making his way to the steps, and Alec exchanged a look with the Puppy Pack. Alec started to call Theo’s name, but Liam’s voice cut through the silence first.

“I don’t want to be your friend.”

Theo stiffened at the foot of the stairs, before his shoulders dropped, almost in… acceptance. “Okay, Liam. You don’t have to.”

Alec wanted to _scream_. He’d never met two people that were worse at communicating than these two, and honestly, how could they understand each other _so well_ , and fail at this _so bad?_

Theo didn’t even get one foot on the stairs, before Liam growled. “That’s not what I’m _saying_.”

“Then what _are_ you saying?” Theo whirled around, his eyes flashing. “I can’t read your mind, Liam, so either say what you want, or _fuck of–_ ”

“I don’t want to be your friend!” Liam cut him off, and Alec saw Stiles facepalm. Yeah, Alec was considering throwing Theo and Liam into a closet until they either kissed or punched each other. But he’s also been around both of them enough to know that the latter was probably their weird version of foreplay. 

Theo inhaled sharply. “Yeah, I _got_ it.”

“ _No_ ,” Liam rushed out, taking a step towards the chimera hesitantly. “I– I don’t… I want–”

“ _Liam_ ,” Theo hissed, irritated, “If you’re not gonna say anything, I’m–”

“I _love_ you!”

Alec’s jaw dropped at the same time Theo’s did, and one look around the room confirmed that the entire pack was just as shocked. Alec had already _known_ , but he hadn’t expected _that_.

“Wh– is this a joke?” Theo asked quietly, and Liam moved closer to him. “Cause I didn’t think you were _this_ mean, but apparently I was wr–”

Alec’s jaw dropped even more.

Liam was kissing Theo. Oh my _god_ , Liam was _kissing_ Theo.

Theo’s words got drowned as Liam captured his lips, and he froze for a second before wrapping his arms around Liam’s waist and kissing back.

It _worked_ , holy _shit_ , Alec’s plan _worked_. Sure, it took the long way to get there, but that didn’t fucking matter, because it _worked_.

Stiles whooped, the rest of the pack cheering that it was _finally_ happening. Liam pulled back, Theo’s eyes finally opening to look at the beta, and there was a _smile_ on his face, and Alec might actually _cry_.

“I love you too,” Theo whispered, but everyone heard it anyway, because they were all holding their breaths, and Liam lit up before wrapping his arms tightly around the chimera. 

“Thank _fucking_ god,” Brett drawled, amusement on his face. “Your sexual tension was starting to suffocate _all_ of us.”

Theo flipped him off as he gave Liam a quick peck on the lips again, before pulling back and dragging him to the couch. “Then why’d you set me up on a date with _another_ guy?”

The Puppy Pack turned to Alec, who shrunk at Theo’s questioning expression. “Uh, I thought jealousy would work?”

Stiles snickered. “If jealousy worked, then they would’ve gotten together _months_ ago, when that girl at the grocery store hit on Theo.”

“You didn’t tell me that!” Alec accused Brett, and he smirked, raising his hands in surrender. 

“No, jealousy works,” Liam cut in, throwing a leg over Theo’s left one. “That’s when I realized I liked him.”

“Is that why you needed to blow off steam that evening?” Theo teased, and Liam turned red.

“You _do_ know what that sounds like, right?” Mason said, his lips pulled into a smirk. 

It was Liam’s turn to flip off his best friend, and the human snickered as Liam snuggled deeper into Theo’s side.

“Okay,” Scott interjected, “Now that that’s over, we can get this meeting started.”

The pack turned to the alpha, the mood growing a little tense at the mention of the reason they were all here in the first place, but Scott just grinned.

“Home Alone 1 or Home Alone 2?”

Alec groaned as the rest of the pack complained that they thought there was an _actual_ problem. And Scott might’ve gotten hit with ten different pillows at the same time. And they might’ve argued about the movie for over an _hour_ until Scott snapped and made an executive decision to watch Home Alone 1. Which might’ve started a huge fight that resulted in Alec being elbowed in the balls by Brett.

  
But Alec wouldn’t trade this pack for _anything_ in the world.


End file.
